"Here you are, daughter," Professor Membrane said as he set a plate of Super Toast with Super Butter in front of his teenage daughter, Gazlene. This breakfast would be full of all the nutrients a growing human needed and would keep her stomach comfortably full for several hours at least, he was certain!
She grunted in thanks, nibbling on her breakfast. Knowing it would be a few minutes still before his other child came down, he sat down and sipped on some tea as he waited.
And waited…and waited.
Eventually, Gaz finished her breakfast and slung on her backpack, a game console in her hands. She stood by the door and began to play, already looking ready to go. Membrane's brows furrowed, and he glanced upstairs. It was still quiet…too quiet.
Odd. His son was notorious for staying up much too late, and then of course waking up later than his sister, but it usually wasn't to this degree. Membrane felt that something was different today…perhaps a little off, even.
Hopefully Dib hadn't run off to spend the night at his friend's house without telling him again.
He patted Gaz on the head and began to head upstairs. Specifically, to his son's bedroom door, which he knocked on…and got a faint groan in response. Ah, good, he was here.
"Son? It's time to wake up and begin another day of education!" Membrane said cheerfully. "You'll need to get up now to have plenty of time to eat breakfast, first!"
"Noooo," Dib moaned, voice faint. "No school. No breakfast."
Membrane's brow furrowed in concern. His son was, on occasion, lethargic in the mornings (as expected from a healthy and somewhat rebellious fifteen-year-old), but it wasn't usually this bad. "I'm going to come in," he announced as he grabbed the handle. Dib just grunted in response, so Membrane twisted the handle and entered.
Dib was laying in bed, huddling in a tight nest of blankets. When the door opened, he peeked his head out, and Membrane immediately noticed his pale skin, covered with a sheen of sweat. He rushed forward and pressed his hand against Dib's forehead and found that he was burning up with a fever.
"Dad," Dib groaned, looking up at him pitifully. "I feel bad…"
"I would imagine," Membrane said, trying to rub his back consolingly. "Can you tell me exactly what your symptoms are?"
Dib licked his chapped lips. "Um. Fever. Sick—uh, nausea. My stomach hurts…can't move."
Though still worried, Membrane relaxed a little. "Sounds like a stomach bug, or a case of influenza," he said.
That explanation didn't seem to reassure Dib very much. "I'm…not sure…"
"There have been quite a few cases of the flu throughout your school," Membrane mused, pressing a hand against Dib's feverish forehead again. It was hot, but not dangerously so—not yet, at least. "And your sister was ill just last week, after all. You might have caught it from her."
Dib frowned, placing a hand against his stomach. "…you really think it's just the flu?" he asked. "It feels worse…a lot worse…maybe—"
Membrane sighed, shaking his head. His son was like this for many of his illnesses. He'd heard far too many times Dib insisting that he was showing early signs of vampirism, or a malicious curse, or even some 'alien plague' created by his little foreign friend.
"Dib," he said. "It's been a while since you've been particularly ill. That may be why it feels more unpleasant than usual. I'm sure it's just the flu or some stomach bug. With some rest and plenty of fluids, you'll be back to full health within a few days."
His son frowned, clutching his stomach and narrowing his eyes. "…if you say so…"
Good, he was dropping the idea of it being anything related to his paranormal interests. Membrane smiled and patted his shoulder reassuringly. "I'll call the skool and let them know you're taking a sick day," he said. "Then after breakfast, you can go back to sleep, alright?"
"…mmkay," Dib groaned. "Painkillers?"
"Yes, I'll bring you some with your breakfast," Membrane said, brushing hair off of his sweaty forehead. Dib grunted in response, closing his eyes and turning away.
Membrane's heart twisted for him. But there wasn't much he could do, other than alleviate his son's symptoms. He quickly headed downstairs, preparing some buttered toast and pouring a glass of water. Once that was ready, he also grabbed painkillers from the first aid kit and headed back upstairs.
In those few minutes, Dib had bundled himself up again in a nest of blankets, shivering. Membrane set the items on his nightstand and pressed his hand to his forehead again. His temperature was still the same…then again, it would take more time for the fever to either break or worsen.
Dib eyed the painkillers, reaching out to quickly gulp them down with a swig of water. Membrane smiled. "Good job," he said. "I'll bring you some more water, and if you need anything else in the day, call me."
"…you're…not staying?" Dib croaked, looking worried.
Membrane's expression softened. "I can't. But I'll be back soon, I promise!"
Dib grunted. Membrane went to the kitchen, filling up the first glass of water along with a second, then grabbed another small trash can before bringing it all to his son's bedroom. His son had picked up one piece of toast and was slowly, miserably nibbling on the corner. He barely glanced up when Membrane left the new items beside him.
For a moment, Membrane was…tempted to stay. At least a little longer.
But after a few seconds of thought, he dismissed the idea. Dib had handled himself independently during his illnesses even as a child, and with him now a teenager, he would be fine. Besides, there were many projects that needed Membrane's attention, things needed to be done to make this world a better place!
He patted his son on the head, setting his cell phone so that it was within reach, and gently told him to rest. Dib mumbled an 'okay' in response, and Membrane nodded and headed downstairs, already dialing the school.
His daughter had already left, so once arranging his son's sick day had been taken care of, he headed to the labs. Mentally, though, he rearranged his schedule, trying to find free time to research a cure for the flu in his busy day…and time to go to the shops at some point.
Hours passed by, and Membrane was kept busy with several different projects, barely finding the time to start any sort of research into curing the flu. He checked his phone when he was able but didn't see any messages from his son (just from other scientists asking for advice or direction on urgent matters).
Fortunately, everything went well today, and he was able to leave earlier than usual, swinging by the store to buy a few important things before heading back home. In the end, he arrived at their house around the time skool would have ended.
"Son, I'm home!" Membrane called as he opened the door and stepped into their home.
There was no response…perhaps his son was sleeping. He hummed and headed into the kitchen, unpacking the grocery bag he was holding and setting the items on the counter. He'd gotten a few cans of soup and bottles of Pedialyte, as he couldn't remember how many they had, along with liquid medicine and painkillers. All things that would help Dib recover from his illness.
The soup could wait for a few hours, until it was close to supper, but he should bring the Pedialyte and the painkillers to Dib. If he was awake, this would be a good time for him to take them.
He tucked said items into his pockets and headed upstairs. All was quiet…though Dib's bedroom door was slightly ajar.
Hmm. He usually liked to keep it closed, enjoying his privacy. But perhaps it felt more comfortable with it open and easier to leave if he needed to, so Membrane didn't feel overly worried.
"Son?" Membrane said, knocking on the door. It creaked open a few inches, but there was no response. He pushed the door open a little more and stepped inside.
He glanced at the bed, expecting to see his son—and his heart dropped into the pit of his stomach.
The bed only held an empty nest of blankets. No sign of Dib.
Worried, Membrane glanced around the messy room (when had Dib last cleaned it?), then stepped back out to double-check the couch and armchairs in the living room. Equally empty.
He checked the bathroom, then his own bedroom, and finally took a quick peek into Gaz's room. Dib wasn't in any of them, and his concern was starting to grow.
With a frown, he paced through the rest of the house, even checking the yard and the garage. Dib was nowhere to be found. He hadn't wandered off while ill, had he? He'd attempted such things in the past, determined to complete some goal or another, but he had barely wanted to move this morning…
He headed to the nearest monitor, pulling up the security system and looking at the history there—it would keep track of who entered and left the house, after all.
It appeared that early in the afternoon—far before skool should have ended—his daughter entered the house. And only a few minutes after that, both she and Dib had left. A quick scan through the camera feeds showed her practically carrying an ill Dib out, her brother slumped against her side with one arm thrown over her shoulders.
Why would she be carrying her brother out of the house?
At the very least, he now had an idea of how he could find answers. He quickly pulled out his phone and called his daughter, fingers rapidly tapping on the table as he waited for her to pick up.
One ring. Two. Three…
And then, finally, his daughter's voice. "What?"
"Gazlene, where are you? Is Dib with you right now?" Membrane asked hurriedly.
There were a few moments of quiet, and she grunted in response. "Yeah, Dib's with me. We're at the hospital."
"What!?" he yelled. "What happened!?"
More silence…though he swore he heard her growl quietly. "Look. If you come over to the hospital, then I'll tell you what happened. We're in the one just off Oak Street. Don't take too long."
And with that blunt response, she hung up on him.
For a few seconds, Membrane was frozen, his mind running wild with what might have caused his children to end up in the hospital…his son's illness coming to mind first. What if he…
He quickly shook his head before he could begin spiraling. "This is only one data point…I shouldn't conjecture from one data point," he muttered to himself. Even if that one data point, combined with what he already knew—
He shook his head again, heading for the door and into the family car. His hands were shaking, and though a few deep breaths didn't completely stop them, there would be no good in delaying any further. His state wasn't ideal to be driving in, but it was sufficient. Most likely.
It would have to be, at least.
He pulled out of the driveway and headed towards the hospital as quickly as he could, tightly gripping the steering wheel to keep himself steady.
It only took him a few minutes to get to the hospital Gaz had described, quickly pulling into the closest parking spot available and dashing inside. He felt a surge of something that wasn't quite relief when he saw his daughter sitting in a corner of the waiting room, tapping her foot and biting her lip as she glared down at her handheld game.
"Gazlene!" he said, quickly hurrying to her side. "Where's Dib? What happened? How long have you been here?"
She looked up, turning her game off and putting it away. "You actually came," she said, sounding relieved…and then sighing and frowning at him.
"Dib's in one of the hospital rooms," she said, jabbing her thumb towards the doors that would lead further into the hospital. "He was still passed out when I came out here to wait, he might not have woken up yet."
She stood up and headed to the desk, then to the doors. Membrane followed along behind her, the secretaries looking up and then quickly letting him pass, recognition flashing in their eyes. "What exactly happened?" he asked.
Gaz scowled. "Turns out, Dib didn't have the flu like you told him," she said. "It was appendicitis. He called me around lunch, saying the pain was getting worse, and he…"
She turned away, gritting her teeth and clenching her fist so hard it shook. "He begged me to get him to the hospital, he was in so much pain. You think I wanted to hear my brother beg pathetically like that?"
"I—" Membrane's voice caught in his throat. Appendicitis. Not uncommon, but very painful and very dangerous. And his son had been going through that? "…has he…been through surgery yet?"
"Yeah," Gaz grunted. "He came out a few hours ago. They said it was lucky, his appendix was actually just about to burst by the time they got started."
"It was…?" Membrane asked, swallowing the lump in his throat. If Dib hadn't called for help, he could have—
He took a deep breath, pushing away those thoughts. That hadn't happened, and dwelling on it after the problem was now dealt with wouldn't do anything to help.
Although…one question still came to his mind. He pulled out his cell phone, quickly scrolling through it. Plenty of messages from the lab, emails to go through, his outbound call to his daughter…but no record of Dib calling him at any point during the day. He was already certain, since he had been keeping one eye on his phone to make sure he didn't miss any possible calls in the first place, but…
"Why didn't he call me?" Membrane asked, almost to himself.
Gaz blinked, eyes widening, before frowning back down at the ground. "Oh. I…he didn't say anything. He just called me and sounded so worried, I thought…"
She sighed, shaking her head. "Anyway. If you really want to know the answer to that, Dib would actually know." She came to a stop, pointing forward at a closed door…
Membrane glanced at it, realization hitting him. This must be where they were keeping Dib for now, for observation and recovery. He wanted to check on Dib, he wanted to see him, and yet…when he reached for the handle, something made him hesitate.
"Well?" Gaz said, looking at him expectantly.
"I…you're sure he's allowed visitors?"
"Yes, Dad," she said. "Even if he wasn't, don't you think it'd mean something to him if you went in to see him anyway?"
"Gazlene, there's usually an important medical reason for patients to not be allowed visitors, and—" His voice trailed off, and he glanced between her and the door before letting out a sigh. He couldn't even explain why he felt so hesitant about this.
Which just meant he needed to cease putting this off. He gripped the door handle and pushed open the door, stepping inside and glancing back at Gaz.
…she was staying right where she was. "You're not coming?"
"I spent the last few hours with him," she said, pulling out her game again, leaning against the wall. "You can have a few minutes alone with him, first."
"…thank you." He gave her a brief nod, stepping inside the rest of the way and closing the door behind him.
The room was clean, clinical…sterile. Faded mint-green walls and old tile floors greeted him, and when he flipped on the light switch, the bulb overhead blinked to life with fluorescent light. The room was small, and only had one uncomfortable-looking cot at the other end…where a figure was starting to shift underneath a thin blanket.
Seconds later, Dib sat up with a yawn and stretch…only to wince and cut his stretch short, curling in on himself.
The sight of him made Membrane's heart clench. He was in a loose hospital gown, IV needles stuck in his arm, wires attached to his chest to monitor his heart rate…it took his voice away for a few moments. Long enough for Dib to fumble for his glasses and put them on, turning to face the new person in the doorway.
Dib blinked groggily at him…and then, when he seemed to finally recognize Membrane, he scowled, glaring at him.
"Dad," he hissed with a sneer in his voice.
"Dib," Membrane said. "Are you…feeling alright?"
"Better, I guess…since my appendix isn't exploding," Dib grunted, still glaring at him. "I knew it wasn't just the flu or a stomach bug. I knew, but you didn't listen!"
"Dib, please—"
"You didn't even let me explain! You just…just came to your own conclusions, and you didn't…I just…" Dib's face was starting to turn red.
"Son, please, breathe," Membrane said, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible. Dib took in a gulp of air, still glaring angrily at him. "…I thought, in your delirium, you were going to insist your illness was something…unrealistic."
That just earned him a bitter glare. "Great. I lose my appendix, and I still get to be called crazy," Dib muttered.
"I never said that."
"But you were thinking it!" Dib snapped. "I wasn't even going to say anything like that this morning! I just…I thought it was worse than the flu, and wanted to confirm, but you couldn't even spare more than a minute's thought to your 'poor insane son'!"
"Son," Membrane said sternly. Dib's mouth snapped shut…and with a huff, he slumped down in the hospital bed, drawing the blanket around himself.
Membrane sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He wasn't sure how he had been expecting this to go, but this wasn't it. They stood there in silence for several seconds, Dib seeming disinterested in saying anything to him.
…that reminded him of the question he'd had. "Why didn't you call me?" Membrane asked.
Dib looked him up and down, scrutinizing him before letting out a scoff. "Why would I bother? You barely ever picked up any of the other times I called you before. And you didn't believe me this morning when I tried telling you it was worse than you thought. You wouldn't have done anything."
Membrane tried to stand unflinchingly as the words cut him. "I would have," he tried to insist. Even though there was a small, niggling voice at the very back of his mind wondering if Dib was right.
Dib…rolled his eyes at him. "Like I'd believe that. At least Gaz actually listened…that's the only reason I lived. No thanks to you."
Though Membrane wanted to assure him things would have been fine…that wasn't true. A burst appendix could be life-threatening. And if he hadn't called his sister, if nothing had been done until Membrane came home hours later…
The thought chilled his blood.
He knew he would have saved his son, had he called. He would have done anything for him, had he known things had gotten worse. He knew that…
But it seemed Dib himself didn't know that. And his son's doubts planted new worries in his mind…worries about which of them was actually correct, here, about what would have happened.
"…Dib," Membrane said slowly, thinking carefully about his words. "I…apologize."
Dib raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms…wincing a bit as he shifted in bed. "You were…correct about this being worse than the flu, and perhaps I acted a bit rashly, assuming you were…" He paused for a long minute. "…delirious from fever."
His son sniffed, clearly not impressed. Membrane's brow furrowed slightly in irritation. "Still, you should have called me before interrupting your sister's school day," he said sternly. "I would have come and helped."
"Oh, so now this is all my fault, is it!?" Dib snapped at him. "Sorry for not acting the exact way you would want me to when I'm sick, and for not trusting you when you haven't earned it!"
Membrane raised his hands in a surrendering gesture, trying to get Dib to calm down. "Son, I—"
"Shut UP!" Dib shouted. "I don't want to hear it. Just…just go away already. You've seen me, I'll be fine without you, so just…go!"
"Dib—"
"Fuck off!" Dib yelled. He grabbed the empty vase from the nightstand beside him and threw it at Membrane. He quickly sidestepped it, and the vase shattered against the doorframe.
Membrane decided that discretion was the better part of valor, and that things would likely not improve even if he stayed. He quickly stepped out—but before closing the door, told Dib, "I'll be back later." He closed the door before Dib could respond.
"…I guess it didn't go well?" Gaz asked, still leaning against the wall, barely even glancing up from her game.
Membrane sighed. "It…certainly could have gone better," he admitted. Gaz grunted. "Are you going to talk with him?"
"When he's that upset? No way," she said. "I'm going to give him at least a few minutes to calm down. I like not having things thrown at my head."
Membrane grimaced. "How long do you intend to stay here?"
She shrugged. "Dunno. Nothing I really need back at home," she raised her Game Slave to emphasize that. "Maybe I'll just leave whenever they kick out visitors. Probably around eight, I think."
"I see. I can come and pick you up, or…" He paused. "How did you and Dib get here in the first place, actually?"
"…borrowed Dib's 'car'," she said.
Ah, yes, the car Dib had been responsible enough to get to practice his driving…though Membrane wasn't a fan of him always referring to it as his 'spaceship'. "It will be dark by the time visiting hours are over…will you be fine driving in those conditions? I can pick you up, and we can get his car later."
She snorted, rolling her eyes. "I'll be fine. If something happens, I'll just call, I guess."
That was…somewhat reassuring, at least. "I think…I should leave," Membrane said. "Dib…will likely not want to see me again today."
Gaz just nodded, and his shoulders sagged. He'd partially been hoping for some reassurance, but he wouldn't be getting any right now, it seemed. He patted her shoulder and headed back to the front desk.
After a brief conversation, he learned that Dib would be released tomorrow, most likely, and that his post-surgery recovery seemed to be going smoothly, so at least there was some small good news. He left the hospital, entered the car…
And thunked his forehead against the steering wheel, groaning. This entire day, it…well, there had been worse days, but this was definitely one of the worst he'd been through. And knowing that it had been so much tougher on Dib, and he'd been blind to that fact for most of the day…didn't make him feel much better!
If Gaz hadn't helped her brother, or if Dib had been too weak to call anyone for help…he couldn't even stomach that thought.
He sat for several more minutes in the parking lot, trying to muster up the energy and focus to actually drive the vehicle. Leaving his son behind like this felt awful, but…well, he would need to leave anyway when visiting hours were over, while Dib would need to stay the night for his health.
The fact Dib wanted him gone particularly stung, though.
It was with a sigh that he finally turned the key in the ignition and started to head home. And though he was of course focused on the road, he also wrestled with the question of what he should do next…
Of how he could do better for Dib, to show that he would be there for his son when he needed it.